Chronic Functional Constipation and Anxiety in Mothers and Children: Is there a Link? - Abstract
Objective: To determine if mothers of children with chronic functional constipation show higher levels of anxiety than mothers of children not constipated.
Methods: Participants were recruited from patients at the Outpatient Pediatric Gastroenterology and Child Care Clinic of the Hospital das Clinicas at UFPE. Cases were considered children 8-12 years of age who complied with the Rome III criteria for chronic functional constipation. The control group had the same age but did not meet this requirement. We excluded patients with chronic diseases or other functional gastrointestinal disorders. Mothers applied the “Parent-report form for children”, the constipation module of Rome III questionnaire for adults and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. With children, we used the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders.
Results: The case group consisted of 57 children and adolescents and the comparative group of 82 children and their respective mothers. Children in the case group had more separation anxiety disorder than those in the comparison group (p=0.006). It was also observed that most constipated children’s mothers often exhibit the same condition (p=0.04). However, constipated children’s mothers did not show higher anxiety levels in comparison with the comparative group’s mothers (p = 0,46).
Conclusions: Mothers of constipated children were not more anxious than those of children without functional constipation. Separation anxiety disorder was more frequent among the constipated children though. This shows the relevance of an approach that goes beyond food and drug orientation and evidences psychosocial aspects.